Beacon Eternal Volume 3: Blaze A Path
by Valzoa
Summary: All signs point to Haven while the flames of Beacon still burn in the hearts of the survivors. As they are all drawn to face the next battle, secrets come to light that could change everything. But the one thing for sure is that none of them will ever be as they were. When the stakes are so high, what other choice do they have?
1. Enter Stage Right

Olive waited in the courtyard for Cardin, not sure how to feel about his dropping a sudden change on her. He said he could only get one warrior, but that it was one Olive could rely on. She began to tap her foot as the time dragged on. Eventually, she saw the craft land and when the cargo bay opened her jaw dropped in surprise as Amy walked out in brand new threads. She couldn't help herself and ran at her, tackling her old friend to the ground. Olive cried out, "Amy! I can't believe it! I was so worried after what happened! How did you come here? Why did you get here?" She was so happy she was confusing her words.

Amy patted her on the back reassuringly, "Cardin was asking my father for aid and I volunteered. I didn't know you were the one asking."Amy waited for what felt like an uncomfortably long time before Olive released her and got up.

Olive collected herself again as she adjusted the Team KOAL pin she had used to affix her cravat. She sighed, "Well, we have been trying to salvage the pride of the White Fang, but they are everywhere here. Makes it impossible to get supplies from the local area without revealing this place. So, I have been working with Cardin and a few other groups to get the supplies we need." She tapped her clawed gauntlet on the transport as she leaned on it in thought, "I actually think you being here is perfect. I need to make a trip into Menagerie and the smaller my group is the easier it will be to go unnoticed."

Cardin chimed in, "I don't know if bringing a human into there would be inconspicuous. I've walked those streets before and everyone kept staring."

Amy opened a pocket of her luggage and pulled out a Lavender colored sheet, wrapping it around herself so that it formed a cape and hood. Olive looked her over, adjusted the fit so that it would cover her clothes and nodded, "This should be enough for now. I will need you to hunch a little bit so we can pretend you are a bit older, but it should be fine for now. If I'm right, you won't need to wear this for long before they won't mind you at all." Amy looked at Olive quizzically before her green haired friend brushed her off, "Don't worry about it. It will be fine." The twitching of her tail gave away that she was hiding something, but Amy let it drop for now.

Amy looked at the gauntlets and asked quizzically, "I have never seen you wear armor before. Is it just to look scary or-"

Olive looked at them and laughed a little, "It is more like an upgrade. A friend took a look at my gloves and found a way to make them far more," She sighed with joy, "effective." Amy was a little unnerved at that, but shrugged and viewed it as just Olive being Olive. The cat noble clapped her hands with a metal clunk and a few of her members approached, "Take Lady Salvia's things to the third guest chamber on the second floor. Lord Winchester's things can be taken the guest room next to the council hall. And get a team in here to take these weapons to the armory." They nodded.

Amy asked, "Do you always treat your allies like servants?"

Olive turned her head and clarified, "That isn't what that was at all, Amy. Communication is key in a movement like ours as well as having a chain of command. I have things to discuss with you this very minute in the war room and Cardin has to go talk with the head of my intelligence division to share what he learned in Vale." She tapped her foot in annoyance, "I have to keep this whole place running smoothly in order to make sure we are ready when the time comes and make clear to everyone what we are doing when. I'm not just part of a four person show anymore." She motioned Amy to follow as Cardin nodded and went off his own direction.

Amy followed with mild confusion, trying to piece together this new version of her friend.

* * *

Zoge walked around Menagerie with Weiss in tow, having put his jacket and hat on her to hide her identity. She didn't seem to appreciate the smell of ashes on it, but was willing to wear it to hide herself from the locals. Her face was far more public than Zoge's. Despite their efforts, it was still clear quite a few were staring at them. Apparently they didn't get too many human travelers through here. He eventually stopped in front of a local tea shop. He moved Weiss to a chair and pushed her down into it. "Alright, don't go anywhere, sis. I have to go check on something." He didn't have to wink for her to know he was giving them a cover story. They did look similar enough, other than the unmistakable dirty feel to his face. If they were siblings, she was clearly the better looking one. When a waiter came she smiled and asked, "Excuse me, but which tea would you suggest from your menu?"

While she was doing that, Zoge entered into it and let out a sigh. He was glad to have done something in memory of Kaen, but Weiss had been a bit of a handful since they left. She wouldn't stop asking him questions he wasn't yet comfortable answering. He needed more information before he could tip his hand on that. Still, he couldn't get some of that information without tipping his hand. He walked up to the owner and asked, "Excuse me, but..." He got this far before the owner held up his hand and motioned Zoge to follow. Confused, Zoge shrugged and followed.

When they got to the backroom, the owner let out a sigh, "Tell her that rumors place the Belladonna girl on a boat coming for port in the next day or so. And also inform her that local chapter has begun to create plans to deal with her if she starts more trouble than they can stop." Zoge blinked in grateful confusion at this sudden surge of intel. Upon seeing this, the owner pointed to his Team KOAL pin and asked, "Aren't you one of hers?"

Zoge paused and after a second of thought nodded, "That I am, but not in the way you thought." He pointed to the white section of the pin, "So, don't worry. I'm on your side. I take it this is Olive's work?"

The owner nodded hesitantly and asked, "And who does that make you?"

Zoge chuckled, "LeBlanc. Zoge LeBlanc."

The older faunas' eyes lit up in curiosity as he asked, "LeBlanc? Does that mean you know Aria?" Zoge's face turned downward, hiding it from the owner who quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, I didn't know that was a sensitive subject."

Zoge held up a hand to stop further interaction as he explained, "It isn't like that. But I do not know an Aria and she does not know me." The owner nodded before letting Zoge go back out. Zoge stated, "Pass along to whatever contact she sends what you told me and that I was here." The owner nodded as Zoge went back outside.

He sighed softly as he saw Weiss in heated debate about the intricate nature of tea preparations, one that the waiter seemed to be equally enjoying. Zoge sighed, grabbing her by the coat and dragging her away as she cried out, "But I haven't had my tea yet! Let me go!"

As they got further away, Weiss realized something was off about him. Seeing that she wanted to ask, Zoge instead shared the info he just gained, "Blake is going to be arriving within a day or so and the White Fang are inevitably going to be making a move once she does."

Weiss sighed, "To think that Blake betrayed us like that." When he looked at her like she was crazy, Weiss huffed, "Well, why else would she just up and disappear after Beacon?"

Zoge rolled his eyes and explained, "Think about it from her angle. She used to be one of them. She once believed in their ideals and their causes. Then she had to watch as all those she once considered friends or family attacked innocent people and unleashed Grimm on a school filled with her new friends. She must feel like she was the one that brought them."

Weiss sighed as she suggested weakly, "Maybe she did, in a way."

Zoge nodded, "But if that is true, then she would have every reason to run away in shame. To protect your sorry ass." He admitted to himself that he had allowed some of his frustration out in that response, but she seemed to take his point. He nodded, "If I were in her position, I would either be coming here to try and escape what happened or to try and convince my father to do something about it." Weiss looked away, not sure how to feel about it, but seeing his point. He sighed, "She probably won't be interested in hearing from you right now, especially if she is trying to run from this." He tapped his foot. "A friend of mine is going to know we are in town soon, so that will work to our benefit." He looked at the pin again and tapped it lightly with his finger before removing it and putting it in his pocket. Clearly, Olive had made their team recognizable. That could be a problem. He pulled Weiss into a burned out building and sighed, "So, gonna need my jacket and hat back." She nodded and handed them over gladly.

Weiss asked, "Which friend? And why are we in here?"

Zoge thought about it and came clean, "Turns out my old teammate Olive has been busy since Beacon, but I knew she was trying before she left. I just wasn't expecting her to have an entire network of contacts already. Must be more faunas against Adam's faction than with him. That said, this building has clearly been burned out and abandoned for awhile. That means no one will be coming in here unless they are looking for us." Again, Weiss understood his logic, but she hated being dragged around like this, like a piece of luggage. He read this and stated, "Look, I hate playing bodyguard as much as you hate being escorted, but you are a Schnee in Menagerie. They will know who you are and it would let the White Fang know we are here. We have to lay low until we get in contact with Olive."

Weiss crossed her arms and leveled her gaze at him, "So you are telling me that the Ivory Tactician didn't think his plan of bringing me with him to Menagerie all the way through?"

He relented, "Well, if Olive hadn't gone around and made Kaen's pins into a sign of White Fang resistance, this would have been a lot easier. I didn't even consider that she could have found this much support. I'm more worried that being unknown elements in the soup before she has finished preparing it would be a bad move. So, if you don't mind sitting still until Olive's forces bring us to her, that is our path."

Weiss thought about it and suggested a new idea. "Why don't we just go to Haven? If we can't do much here, why not just go there?"

Zoge grumbled but admitted she wasn't wrong. He waved his hand, "I would prefer to keep an eye on the Blake situation, but if Olive is already on top of it, I'm sure she has it under control. She knows we are in town now. That should be enough." He sighed, as he put on his gear, "I heard some rumblings from Connie that Ruby and Team JNPR were on their way there too, so we can probably meet them on the road if you want."

Weiss seemed to brighten up, "Ruby?" When he nodded, she stood up with energy, "Excellent! We should be going. And as we do, you can finally tell me what you are hiding from me."

Zoge sighed and grumbled again, "I can't confirm any of it yet, Weiss. I've said it over and over again! Why would I tell you things I don't know for sure."

She smiled and spoke down to him, "Because it will make me happy, pass the time, and aside from all that, you seem very sure of what you think is happening and I want to know what your theory is." He adjusted his hat, not wanting to give away how much of this he already knew about.

So he took a breath as they hit the road and explained, "Well, these are from myths and legends, so the details are sketchy, but it starts with a god of light and a god of darkness..."

* * *

Connie walked around the empty halls yet again, looking for untouched heirlooms she could toss into the fireplace. Anything she had missed on the first ten passes. As she did, she toted around his bottle of two hundred year old scotch. As she took another swig of the bottle, glad to have this catharsis. She really didn't know how much she needed this. She considered going to the wine cellar after this and doing that in. Cleaning up after the unfortunate secrets she was sure her father had squirreled away down there. As she was thinking about this she heard someone clear their throat down the hall. And there she was. The Ice Queen herself standing there with a big beaming smile that just made Connie want to punch her in the face.

Winter could tell what sort of mood Connie was in and laughed a little, "Connie, I got you a present. And I can think of no better time to have brought it, apparently." Contrassa gave her the finger as she stumbled into the entryway Winter had been lurking in. When she did, she turned and stared in disbelief at her younger sister standing there. Connie couldn't believe her eyes and stumbled towards her with confusion. When her sister hugged her she could no longer pretend it wasn't real, nor the tears now streaming down her face. Winter spoke softly, "Thanks to the evidence you provided of the associations and connections your father had, we were able to find Ebony. One of your father's old rivals had taken her for himself. It seems he had been waiting for the investigation to die down before he tried anything. Without the evidence you provided, we never would have found her." Connie didn't respond. She just hugged her sister tightly. She had grown since Connie left, but her long black hair cloud grey eyes were unmistakable to a loving older sister.

Connie couldn't stop herself from crying, and she wasn't sure if it was the booze or not, nor was she sure she cared. For her part, Ebony also couldn't keep it together just glad to be home again, let alone to see her loving sister once more. They may have fought in the past but right now, they were together and that was all that mattered.

After some time, Winter spoke up again, "I am glad I was able to help you find your sister. Especially after having thought you had lost her forever." Connie looked at her and glared through the tears only to have Ebony hug her tighter. Winter motioned Connie to calm down. "I didn't mean that how it came out, Connie."

Contrassa growled, "Then how did you mean it? Go ahead! Explain that!" She couldn't believe Winter had done this just to guilt trip Connie into letting Jacques lock Weiss up again. But the look on Winter's face was different. While it was an easy jump to make, it clearly wasn't where she was going.

Winter sighed and grabbed her right arm with her left as she looked away, "Look, I miss Weiss, but I know you would never have let someone put her in danger. I'm sorry for how I acted. When you gave me that diary and that note, I couldn't help but read it. When I did I realized it was the only records that escaped destruction after they disappeared." She smiled weakly, "I figured that the best apology I could offer you for that was to try. That was how I found her."

Looking in Ebony's eyes, it was clear that she couldn't confirm the story, but even drunk, Connie knew Winter well enough to tell when she was being honest. Connie stood up, breaking free from the hug to point at Winter's chest. She growled, "This is the single greatest gift you have ever brought to my door." Winter looked confused at the threatening thanks, and waited to hear more. Connie sighed, "Look, I can't tell you everything about the guy who came for her, but I can say he was from Beacon and just wanted to give her a chance to join in the fight. A chance to avenge the fallen."

Winter looked away and nodded weakly, admitting that was probably the best she could hope for, "Well, at least she will have backup."

Connie nodded, "And if the communications web stays strong, I expect him to contact me as soon as he can. I'm sure Weiss will be with him. If you want to talk to her then, I'm sure I could make it happen."

Winter jolted at the admission to her, but seemed convinced it was just the booze, responding, "I would appreciate that."

Ebony said in a mischievous tone, "So, is she the Winny you wrote about in your Diary?"

Connie spun around and roundhouse kicked her sister across the room. "SHUT IT, BRAT! YOU ARE LUCKY I DON'T KILL YOU MYSELF! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO MY ROOM!"

Ebony flipped to kick off the wall, landing gracefully, "Oh, come now! A sewing room is was a much better use of the space, unlike your mess of a nest."

Winter's eyes shot open as she watched Connie going brutal on her seemingly delicate sister. Laughing nervously, Winter began to back out of the room as the sisters started fighting and dodging each other up the hall, throwing paintings and vases as they went. Once Winter found herself outside the manor, a bronze bust of Connie's grandfather flying out the window as she walked, Winter pulled out Connie's Diary and flipped it open, moving her bang behind her ear as she read and walked away.

* * *

Olive sighed as she looked at Amy, clearly pulling back the act again, "So, here is the deal, Amy. Adam has supporters everywhere in Menagerie, a bunch of White Fang fanatics. I made a slight mistake when I started and now they all know what I look like. I have enough sway so I can hide in plain sight among the common folk, but if any White Fang know I'm there, I'm in trouble. That said, someone is planning to kill Ghira. If you know me, I can't just sit here while they do that. So," She looked nervous, "Do you mind playing bodyguard for me while we are in town? I figure if you save Ghira they won't think twice about letting you talk to him and warn him of the danger."

Amy cut to the heart of the matter with her response, "Did you do something when you started that would cause him to not listen to the warning from you?" When Olive could only respond with a nervous laughter Amy sighed, "Alright. I can see this is important, and not just to you. I take it your intel is solid?" Olive nodded firmly and grimly, as though she had heard it from The White Fang herself. "Then it seems we don't have much of a choice. I'll keep you as safe as I can and I will protect Ghira from any potential assassins."

Olive nodded with relief, a pigeon flying its way into her war room. She stared at it for a minute before taking the message from its leg. She read it and seemed to be uncertain of how to feel. It wasn't bad but certainly hard to figure out if it was a blessing or not. She shared, "Well, it seems that Zoge is in town with Weiss Schnee. Well, I mean, sort of in town. Looks like he is headed for Haven. Probably better that he stay out of town for now. Seems like he is wearing his pin which just draws attention to him."

Amy asked with a measure of fear, "Wearing Kaen's pin is dangerous now?"

Olive sighed and motioned generally, "They know I wear it and so it is easy to make that leap in the mind of others. I wish Saber had done something with them, but maybe they left before he knew. Still, your cloak will hide yours and I will be keeping this gear in my bag and wearing something a bit more generic until things are more calm."

Amy sighed and shook her head, "How have you lead a group like this?"

Olive laughed a little, "You will meet her. She has been the best thing to ever enter my life, and I don't say that ever." Olive seemed to sigh to herself for a minute and then mumbled, "Maybe I should get someone to shoot me again." Amy gave her a massively confused look to that and Olive motioned her away. "Don't judge me!"

* * *

Ruby lead Team RNJR up the road in desperation, dragging Qrow along as they went. As they did, a group of bandits jumped out in front of them, seeing them as ripe targets. As the team readied to fight only to be caught unawares by a hooded figure leaping from the woods, striking one of the bandits hard enough to send him flying into another bandit. RNJR heard leaves behind them only to see bandits with blade marks come flying out from the woods, distracting them from the first batch falling to their savior.

A pink haired swordswoman in purple robes stepped out of the bushes and laughed a little, "Didn't expect to run into you here, Qrow. I take it we are headed the same way. Care for an escort?"

Qrow was too out of it to respond so Ren stepped forward and asked, "Why should we trust you?"

Ruby shouted, "We don't have time! He needs help!"

Jaune was about to call the woman out when the robed figure spoke, "Her name is Rosa and right now, she is the only one who can get him there on time." Jaune turned to the figure with a look of doubt but nodded.

Rosa went over to Ruby and offering her shoulder with the softest smile the girl had seen in a long time. A motherly and nurturing smile, and Ruby handed him over. As Rosa started towards where she came from, Ruby warned, "If he isn't safe when we get there, you will regret it."

Rosa turned for a moment and behind her motherly smile said, "If anyone tries to stop me, I will render their innards and feed them to my pets." Ruby stepped back in surprise as Rosa returned to escorting him to where she came from.

Nora looked between everyone and asked full of shock, "WHAT! JUST! HAPPENED!"

Jaune walked up to the figure and stated, "You told her to stop for us, didn't you?" The figure nodded. "If that is true, it doesn't make us have to trust you." The figure was still and quiet. Jaune drew his sword and pointed it at the figure. "Draw your weapon"

Ruby stepped forward, blocking Jaune from going forward. "He just saved us. And, as scary as she was, his friend just took Qrow to get help." Jaune sighed, about to put his blade away when the figure drew an oddly shaped sword.

"He wants to feel it, Ruby. Real men speak through battle. Right, Jaune?" The figure waited patiently for him to make the move.

Jaune looked at Ruby and then the figure and then to Ren and Nora who seemed to be nervous but supportive of him. Still, he realized that this wasn't the way, putting the blade away for now. "Now isn't the time. But when we make sure Qrow is okay..."

The figure nodded in reply, putting their own weapon away. He stated distantly, "I'll take up the rear so that if they try and jump us they will have a bigger problem." They looked nervously among themselves but nodded and moved past him, taking the lead down the road.


	2. Seeking Safe Haven

Olive and Amy made their way into town, Olive wearing a hat to hide her face as Amy wore the massive backpack Olive had brought, hunching over as Olive insisted she act like an aging woman. It was times like these she wished Zoge had been around to come up with the plans. Olive wasn't being foolish about the plan, but things as insane as this just made her miss the old days. Most of the faunas seemed to give her a glance and then move on. Apparently, a sight like this must be rather common among the faunas here.

Trying to casually take a look at the streets as they went, Amy was thrown off by just how full the streets were. She asked quietly, "Is there some big convention or something?"

Olive responded sadly, "No, Amy. This is our home. When we lost the war, they gave us this postage stamp of land. This is all the space we get, so of course it is crowded. That is why so many leave to go make a life somewhere else." Amy's eyes rested compassionately upon them as they walked, seeing the little things. A little boy being knocked over as some older children ran past to play, others ignoring him as he cried until his mother picked him up. A man at a market stall trying to pitch his vegetables as a super food to all sorts as they walked past. When Amy smiled a bit at the character this places showed, Olive nodded, "We don't have much, but we have each other. That is why I wanted so badly to become a huntress."

Amy nodded continuing to watch the streets with fascination. They walked into a small inn, Olive putting some money on the counter, the owner giving a nod to her as the two walked their way up to their room. Olive plopped down on the bed for a minute as Amy dropped off the bag. "So, are we waiting for a public appearance then?"

Olive nodded as she stared at the ceiling, "Barring our enemies coming after me while I'm here, I can't imagine Ghira wouldn't let all of us know that Blake was home. He is THAT kind of dad."

"And where is your father? Is he out of town?"

Olive looked right at Amy to measure her and when she saw the genuine innocence of Amy's face she sighed. "After what I did at Beacon, the White Fang killed them and burned down their home to hide the evidence. From what others told me, my parents were as angry as I was. And my agents tell me my brother was the one that gave the order."

Amy jumped on and hugged Olive tightly, who returned the hug lightly. Amy cried quietly, "First Zoge is abandoned at a library, then Kaen's parents and now yours." Olive hadn't considered that until now and her eyebrow twitched a little at the thought. She turned away during the hug as she stared at the wall, not sure what to think about that.

* * *

As they walked, RNJR kept looking back at their new traveling companion who seemed to be scanning the treeline vigilantly. Eventually, Nora tried to slow down so she could try to talk to the figure. Ren caught her and shook his head but she just smiled and slipped out of his arm and back next to the figure, "So, how did you get to Mistral? Did Rosa bring you? Why did she bring you? Who is she?"

The figure laughed a little, still keeping an eye on the trees, "A transport that Rosa got from a friend. Yes. The short answer to this one is that she needed to consult with a friend. Finally, she is Rosa the Butcher, former member of House Salvia."

It was here that Ren slid into the conversation, "I heard that she was exiled for slaying an entire town. Is that true?" The figure nodded slowly, Ren nodding with him, "A complicated story I take it. You seem to have a lot of those."

"That isn't new, Ren. I just can't explain it too well while we are this deep in bandit territory."

Ren tapped his chin and asked, "Nora, do you mind?"

She lit up and grabbed Ruby, pulling her back into the group as Ren stepped back up with Jaune to keep the formation. Nora squeed, "RUBY! We get to play twenty questions! I love this!" The figure smirked at her and shrugged, motioning Nora to start, "Rules are simple. Yes, no, or maybe." He nodded. "Did Rosa make that weapon for you?" He nodded. "COOL! Your turn Ruby!"

Ruby looked him over and asked seriously, "Did you mean for that to happen?" Nora jolted and looked ready to diffuse the situation before the figure held up his hand.

He sighed, "Not at all." Ruby narrowed her eyes, trying to read his face and eventually softened up a little. When she did he continued, "Here is a freebie. I literally have no idea how it happened." He would have explained further but she held up her hand to stop him.

"If you keep giving us free answers, then were is the fun in the game?" Nora sighed with relief before gearing up for a new set of silly questions. He sighed as he realized that now that Ruby was satisfied he had agreed to answering eighteen more questions from two of the most energetic people on the planet. This was going to be a long walk.

* * *

Connie stared deeply into the fire as she swirled the bottle loosely by its neck, taking another swig as she threw another painting into the fireplace. Ebony walked in and sat next to her, seemingly unsure of what to say about what she was seeing. "I know they weren't the best people, but they are still family."

Connie looked over at Ebony and asked coldly, "Did he ever show you the basement?"

"I've seen the wine cellar a hundred times, Con."

The merc just laughed a little, before taking another drink. When her sister glared at her, she explained, "Dad hid a lot of things from you. Probably learned after me that not every family secret needs to become a legacy." She stood up more confidently than before, dusting herself off before she threw the bottle of booze into the fireplace. As the bottle broke, the fire flashed green for a second before returning to normal, burning the face out of a painting of their aunt. "Come on, Eb. I'm gonna show you what Daddy was hiding from his number one girl."

The two walked down, the feeling of damp stone filling the air. As they did, Connie walked nonchalantly to her father's 'favorite' wine supply. Upon twisting the tap into an upside down position and moving the lever action, she pulled it open to reveal a tunnel. On the other side was a seemingly makeshift dungeon with dried blood caked near the restraints and a small hidden wharf. Ebony walked out and looked it over with horrified curiosity. Connie nodded and waited for the inevitable question. "What was this?"

Connie walked over, pulled a dusty old bottle of whiskey from the drawer of the old quartermaster, taking a test swig before nodding, "Good taste." She then answered, "Dad used to be a part of the Faunas slave trade during the war. Said grandpa was doing it before the war. Most of the slaves in this part of Atlas come through our basement, at a fee of course." She scoffed as she searched the desk further to find a dusty old bit of cloth and pondered jamming it into the bottle before, looking for another bottle entirely. This one was too damn good a whiskey to burn this place down.

Ebony grabbed her and tried to stop her and at first she thought it was because she wanted to preserve it, but Connie found herself caught off guard by what she heard next, "Let Winter in here. If dad used to do this, she may be able to find out who did this and stop them." Connie thought about it for a minute and then realized that doing that would have pissed her father clean off. If she not only ratted him out but used his dirty laundry to take all them smug corrupt bastards out... Ebony sighed, "Look, I know this is too much like playing the intrigue game that you hate but-"

Connie shook her head, "Fuck it. Worth it to bury this crap. Hell, it might burn our family name to the ground." She took another swig, only to have her sister look at her with judgement, "What?"

Ebony sighed, "You make fun of Ironwood for being a boozehound but here you are wasting all your time drinking yourself silly while destroying your family heritage and pitying yourself. This isn't the Connie that used to steal my dolls and hide them in various parties and poses all over the house."

Connie stared at her narrowing her eyes as she took another drink and asked, "When did you get all good at making fun of me?" When Ebony crossed her arms, Connie sighed and growled under her breath. She then relented, "I know so much more about what is happening than you could know, but instead I'm being held prisoner here all over again. I worked so hard to escape only to find myself trapped again."

"By what?" Ebony seemed genuinely puzzled, "The Connie I knew couldn't be kept prisoner anywhere she didn't want to be. No one could stop her from getting what she wanted." Connie looked away again, about to take another drink when Ebony smacked it out of her hand. When the merc glared at her, Ebony glared back, "Spill it, Con!" They held the look for awhile until Ebony realized something. "You are punishing yourself. Because of Winter." Contrassa turned with a sneer, trying to walk away before her sister spun her around again, "You would rather sit this out here, drinking yourself to death than hurt her again."

Connie smacked her sister hard, her glare becoming overbearing, "If you were as smart as you pretend to be, you would know better than to go there." She walked out and grumbled, "If you bring it up again, I'll lock you down here myself. See how the ocean air deals with those shitty extensions you have." Ebony looked after her, unsure she had ever seen her sister this upset. Still, this just made her more convinced that what she was doing was the right thing.

* * *

Zoge explained further as they got to Haven, the way point before meeting Ruby on the road, "I don't know how everything fits together, but if everything is to be believed, the power of the maidens is probably connected to the four relics that supposedly were given to man. If there are four relics and four major nations with Huntsman academies, then the attacks on the schools might not be an accident. If the enemy can manipulate the Grimm, they must have some connection to the god of darkness..."

As he said this, he saw Qrow walk out of his room, who remarked, "Well, I'm impressed. Did you pick all that up from that dusty old library?"

As he walked out, seemingly feeling pretty good, Rosa stepped out behind him, "Oh my. If it isn't the Schnees. How are you?"

Weiss laughed a little, "You MUST be mistaken. He isn't related to me."

Rosa laughed a little, "I would say so. Nicholas was prolific. The Schnee genetics are all over Atlas." She sighed, "Still, Jacques coup from your mother was painful to watch, Weiss." The heiress froze, not sure how to respond.

Qrow jumped in, trying to disarm whatever Rosa was doing, "If you came here looking for Ruby, Weiss, she is still making her way on foot. Rosa and I were about to make our way to meet up with them."

Rosa chuckled, "And I imagine it will be refreshing. As far as I know, you haven't seen your classmates since the Vytal festival."

Weiss hesitated but nodded in response, turning to Zoge and giving a quizzical look to which he shrugged. "Um, I suppose that means we should come with you?" Zoge nodded and motioned them ahead. Qrow smirked weakly for a moment before leading the way, Rosa's gentle smile never faded as she motioned the two to follow.

Qrow sighed, "I didn't hear everything you said, but the parts I heard are about the jist of it. Four relics under the protection of the academies and a force connected to the Grimm going after them." He sighed and turned to Rosa, "You really sure you want to get involved in this?"

Rosa nodded, "After all. If you are the best trainer these children have before they throw themselves into an unwinnable war, they will need all the help they can get." Zoge cleared his throat and Rosa turned to him with a smirk, "Oh, I'm sorry. Does fighting the inevitable bother you?"

Zoge laughed nervously, "I actually... I kind of have a plan." She seemed unconvinced and so did Qrow, but the two huntsmen simply just kept moving, as if ignoring who said they could do brain surgery. They got a sizable lead until the two kids picked up their pace. Weiss looked at him and Zoge winked at her, "I am not entirely sure what the plan is, but I think..." He trailed off, deep in thought but seemingly okay with having most of his theory confirmed. Weiss seemed as puzzled as him, not entirely sure she believed it, even with Ruby's uncle saying he seemed to have it right. It was all just a bit too strange to be believed. But they continued down the road nonetheless.

* * *

The chamber was dark and bodies were still strewn about with an almost devil may care approach. As Adam sat upon the throne, pondering what he sort of deal he must have just made, a voice spoke from the shadows to him. "Have I ever lied to you?" Adam was silent, staring at his banner as it was unfurled. The new face of the White Fang, or so he told himself. The voice continued, "Fennec and Cormac are seeking to use you. They view you as a pawn. I am the only one who you can rely on."

Adam asked dismissively, "And what do you get out of helping me? You can't expect me to believe you aren't playing the same game." He looked at the figure who seemed to just laugh at first, "Do I look like a joke to you?"

The figure laughed a bit longer and stated, "There is nothing you have that I could not take if I so desired. And you do play your part, but you are more useful to us where you are. A division. A rift between humans and faunas. Just as it should be. Continue to seek your revenge, and I will get something beyond the petty ambitions of Fennec and Cormac." The figure motioned grandly, "For you are a man driven entirely by your zealotry. Man at his purest. Chase your revenge, make them pay, and my advice will never fail you."

Adam sighed, standing from his chair, "Your advice does bother me, but if you are right then there is no choice." He turned to the figure, removing his mask to reveal his scar, "This doesn't mean I will not have my satisfaction."

The figure laughed from behind their mask, "You will gather that in time. For now, you must play the game as well as she has. Bide your time and allow your enemies to tip their hand. When the cards are finally played, you will have lost two opponents and have enough left to gamble on." He motioned grandiose, "And if there must be one, allow yourself to be the ante."

Adam sized up this new advisor, but couldn't help but feel that the advice was sound. He put the mask back on and returned to his chair as he looked over his new home with grim approval.


	3. From Ashes

Zoge walked down the road as he listened carefully to the two experienced warriors chat, catching up a bit here and there about the events since the festival. Weiss seemed a bit uncomfortable and grumbled before turning to Zoge and asking, "If you knew you were related to me, you would say, right?" He looked over at her with a raised brow and then pointed quizzically at Rosa. The Heiress nodded and seemed to become even more agitated, "I'm not bothered by her! It is just..." She broke eye contact and growled instead of finishing the sentence.

Zoge looked down knowingly and said, "I think what binds us together is more important than blood. Hell, even more important than the young man who inspired me to be willing to try." He looked at her and gave her an intense but empty look, "We watched as the lives we took for ourselves went up in flames. We are bound by the desire to take back our own lives from a fate worse than death. Being a chained and gagged prisoner in our own lives. Kaen freed me from mine and I helped free you from yours. Destiny and Fate can be changed. That is what you and I fight for, and that is what makes us like family with our teams." He motioned briefly between the two of them, "What makes you and I family. So, blood or not, You have family here. A drunk uncle, a scary granny-" When he said that last line, he could feel a dark and terrible presence ahead of them. Qrow increased his pace and took a swig from his flask.

Rosa spoke as sweet as she could, but the venom behind it made closer to lead in your wine, "While I do not chafe at my age, young one, I will not have so crass a term applied to me. But I do ask that you repeat it if you require an impromptu lesson."

Zoge motioned a no with his hand nodding in understanding as she calmed down and caught up with Qrow. Zoge continued, "RWBY, KOAL, JNPR... everyone from Beacon. Everyone that was there that day. We are family now. As long as we are after the same thing."

As they went down the road, Ruby ran to meet them, smiling as she tackle hugged Qrow. "Hey, still a bit sore, Short Stack!" Ruby was hugging him tight, crying into his shoulder for a minute.

Ruby broke free when Rosa cleared her throat, Flailing a bit as she tried to gain her balance back, Ruby bowed and said, "Thank you, Miss Salvia." Weiss jolted at this name, pointing between Zoge and Rosa a few times to which he shrugged like it wasn't something he knew but it wasn't unsurprising. Ruby turned back to see Jaune and Nora running up the road in a panic. "Why are they back there? I thought they were right behind me!" She looked over and saw Weiss and her eyes lit up. In a shower of petals, Weiss was tackled to the ground, much to the heiress' shock. "WEISS! I thought I would never see you again! I heard you went back to Atlas and thought your dad would lock you away forever!"

Zoge laughed at Weiss giving into the hug and returning it, eventually saying, "She would have been if she hadn't been as stubborn as she is. So, she called me up for some help."

Ruby's eyes shot to Zoge and it had such distant intensity he didn't know what to think at first. He laughed nervously, not sure of what else to do when Ruby grabbed him by his collar and started trying uselessly to pull him down the road, "Zoge, I can't drag you if you don't cooperate!" He exchanged a look between him and Weiss that denoted how confused they were until Jaune called down the road. Ruby motioned with her hand a hello and pointed to the white haired boy, "Look, Jaune! Look who we found!"

Ren got there first and said, "We tried to stop her, but she wouldn't have it. He even told us to come on ahead. You have to do something!"

Nora finally caught up, entirely out of breath. Zoge was about to ask her what was up, but she held up her finger telling everyone to wait. She brought it down for a minute, looking like she was about to talk and then put the finger back up. She eventually said, "Yah.. Ya.. Yan..."

Jaune finally got there, "Yang! She just jumped him out of nowhere!" Upon hearing her sister's name, Ruby was gone like a bolt and Zoge scooped Weiss up to follow suit.

Rosa sighed, "Such impulsive children these are. Not ready. Not ready at all." Qrow lowered his brows at her and she sighed, "I can't help that you are the worst possible influence for these kids, hatchling." She smiled softly without any venom once the kids were out of earshot, "But I'm not much better. You have done good work, Qrow. I'm sure Ozpin would be proud. For now, it falls upon them and their ideals. If they are strong enough, we may have a chance this time. This is the most she has exposed herself in years. With a bit of luck and a lot of will, this can finally come to an end."

Qrow sighed, "Yeah, the luck is the hard part." He looked down at Ozpin's cane mournfully.

Rosa laughed a little, "I wouldn't worry. He will arrive precisely when he is needed. If not, then we can carry his ideals." It was here she realized, "Wait a minute, isn't Yang your niece?"

Qrow finally put together that Yang attacking someone was probably something he would have to break up and got to running down the road, Rosa keeping pace with little effort. When they got there, Qrow couldn't believe his eyes, turning with a measure of fury to Rosa who seemed to have paused in surprise. Yang was raining blows down upon the cloaked figure, each one being blocked until a well placed uppercut left his guard open. Once that happened, she began to powderize their rib cage with her punches before sending them flying through a few trees. Ruby cried out, "YANG!" And moved to stop her when Zoge held her back, locking his cold blue eyes on the face that came out as the hood fell. The hair was blazing orange, as were the eyes, he was covered in an oddly designed set of armor, but the face was very familiar to him. Zoge gripped the handle of one of his long swords as he tried to discern what was going on.

* * *

He could feel his first breath. It was cold and harsh as it filled his lungs, seeming to burn him up inside.

"There you go. Nice and slow. Just like that."

He did his best to control it, the pain driving his body to breathe ragged, but he held it. A slow and steady breath. Eventually the pain subsided and he slipped under again.

He felt the heat return, feeling like he was burning alive, but he felt something cool being put to his head, patting it slowly to and fro.

"I know. I'm right here with you. Just breathe." He tried to move but felt like he couldn't at all. Instead he felt a hand on his chest. "Not just yet. Rest. The world can wait."

He eventually stopped and felt like he was slipping under again. As he did, he realized he was now standing in his old home. His mother at her forge, working away with a smile on her face. She motioned him over as he smelt his father baking in the kitchen. His mother motioned him to sit next to her, so he did, watching her work. She asked, "So?" He didn't know what she was driving at until she said, "How was school?"

He blinked at her, feeling like this was odd, but more so struggling to remember. After a moment he sighed, "I'm sorry. I guess I wasn't paying too much attention."

She laughed a little, "You were never that good at learning from books. I swear, Bron isn't getting off the hook this time. I'm gonna wring his neck for not teaching you these things before he sent you away." She turned to him with a sparkle in her eye, "But I know my boy isn't gonna give up, right?"

He looked at her, looking at his feet, "I don't know. Maybe I'm not like the rest of them."

She cut him off with a stern reassurance, "Of course you aren't. You are a Phoenix. We got that name ages ago from Ozma himself. Those other kids may be good, but you are unstoppable." Before he could disagree, she explained, "Your grandfather once decided he was going to make a name for himself, so despite our concerns, he chose to go up to Atlas and participate in the boxing circuit up there." She laughed a little, "Eighty year old man goes into a league filled with kids half his age, beats all of them, not because he was a good boxer but because none of them could put him down on the mat and every time they landed a hit he just punched them as hard as he could back." She sighed, "He never quite looked the same, but the Atlas boxing champion admitted that even he didn't want to pick a fight with him."

Kaen sighed and shook his head, "I don't have that. I'm just some idiot in the right place at the right time."

She nodded, "That was how I found your father. He wasn't interested in anyone you know. Just wanted to practice his cooking and his baking. But he needed a taste tester. So, I happened through at the time, just looking for a bite to eat. Snagged me for the taste test. When he did, I became enthralled. He was so handsome and so good at cooking! I had to have him. So, your father." She smiled softly, "He decided he was going to make me a four course meal and if I could eat all of them, he would give me one date." She laughed, crying a little, "I ate it all and asked for seconds. He was floored, and I'll never forget that face." Kaen still looked at the floor, not feeling like he was the same. She put an arm over his shoulder and asked, "What are the three most important things when forging?" She wagged a finger at him, "OTHER than safety precautions, because the forge is not a toy."

He thought about it and said, "Heat, precision, and Timing."

She nodded, putting a piece of metal into the forge, "If the fire is too hot, you lose cohesion, but if it burns too cold, the metal won't mold." She pulled out the white hot metal and begun to swing her hammer, "Once it can be molded, you have to make every strike count. If you aren't careful, you can add faults into the metal, making whatever comes out more likely to break itself than do its job." As she struck the metal, it slowly began to cool. She managed to quickly shape the band and put something else into her forge. She then pounded the metal into a crescent shape and put it into the water, "And when the time is right, you purge the heat." She pulled out the undecorated band from the water. Kaen nodded and she held up her finger, "What you forget is that once it is done, that isn't the end. You can do all sorts of things to it." She pulled out the object from before, a long metal rod, and used the heated end to press into the metal, beginning to press a design into the metal. After a short while she purged the bracelet again and offered it to Kaen. "And if you ever want to make that into something else, all you have to do is put it under enough heat."

As he was about to respond, his father came around the corner with a tray, the sizable black haired man teasing, "Honey, are you lecturing our little hero using smithing illustrations again? Just let him rest. He has worked hard."

She sighed, "Of course he has, but this isn't a time to get lazy!"

He leaned forward and kissed her on the nose, "My dear little fireball, I would never allow for that. But a rest every now and again is what makes the journey easier." He looked Kaen over, much to the surprise of the youth and spoke in a strong tone he wasn't expecting, "I'm sorry about her, Kaen. She could never leave well enough alone. But I have confidence in you. Even when you were young, there was nothing we could do to stop you from doing what you wanted to do and it always made loving you that much easier." Kaen could feel himself beginning to cry but his father just smiled, "So, you can rest here until you are ready. Just make sure that you don't forget the people who need you most."

Kaen's eyes drifted open for a moment to see someone he thought was his mentor for a minute but when he blinked they were gone. Eventually, he felt himself back at the forge with his mother, laughing as they tried taking turns over each other to hammer a bit of metal back into shape. It was peaceful. It was warm, and it was the best. He eventually hugged his mom tight, "I don't want to leave." She held his arm close as he eventually said what she knew he was going to have to say, "But I think I have to get back to school. If I don't go back soon, my friends will all worry about me."

She nodded and waved a hammer at him, "You had best take care of them! I'm sure they will keep you where you need to go, but someone has to push or the whole thing doesn't move."

His father laughed as he leaned out of the kitchen and waved, "Don't mind her. Just remember, you are always going to be yourself and I've yet to meet anyone who can fight it. Do whatever you feel is true and you will be just fine." Kaen nodded and turned to leave.

"Three months." He turned to face the voice only to feel himself fall out of bed. He looked up at the voice, only to see a pink haired warrior sitting at the table, her red eyes resting on him as she stitched patches into an old blanket. "I have to admit, I'm impressed. My granddaughter has good taste." He tried to lift himself from the ground but found his arms to be no more powerful than wet noodles. It was then that Kaen realized he could say he had arms. She chuckled lovingly, "Oh dear. You look like a newborn fawn. How interesting."

He tried to figure her out but could sense nothing other than her gentle nature and that she was clearly more knowledgeable about his situation than him. He asked after blowing some dust out of his face, "Where am I?"

She nodded, "A rather pedestrian question, but if it helps, you are in my tent. If you want me to be more specific, we have currently migrated to the southern edge of Mystral. I thought an old friend of mine would be able to help my curiosity about your case. She was just as puzzled and curious as I was." When Kaen looked around, starting to panic at not seeing his Master's sword anywhere, she waved the needle at him, "If you are looking for that gaudy mess you were fighting with, I returned it to where it should have been long before you got your grubby mitts on it. Only that fool would dare disgrace the blade of one of my students by welding it to his gimmicky little peashooter."

Kaen glared at her, causing her to pull back a little in surprise. He growled impatiently, "And where is that?"

She smiled at him knowingly and said, "Perhaps, when you can lift yourself off the ground without help, I will take you there. Until then, it appears you need my help, little Phoenix." She put the blanket aside and, after lifting him with ease, put Kaen back into the bed. "That said, I'm more than happy to train you, if you are brave enough." As she offered her hand, Kaen could feel a touch of darkness behind her tone, but it was not a threat. It was a cold foreboding remorse. A resigned hope that what came next did what needed to be done. He grabbed it and she gave a cold nod, a slight glimmer in her eye.

* * *

Ebony dropped a folder in front of Connie. Connie stared blankly at it. Ebony had the sort of smug smirk that made Connie mad, but for now she decided to humor her little sister. When she raised a brow at her sister, she got no change. When she motioned to the folder, she got no change. Just the same ear to ear smirk that let her know her sister felt pretty good about herself. When Connie picked up and read the folder, she found herself immediately engrossed. She eventually looked up and asked, "Where did you find this? Is it up to date? Is she okay?"

Ebony nodded and sat down next to her, "Your little friend has been working a lot of angles. In fact, I'm surprised she isn't calling the shots by this point. But I think she has another plan." Connie continued reading, not sure if this was amazing or terrible. "She kept sending reports to you though, so since we took your scroll when you were arrested it hasn't been hard to keep informed." Connie flipped through, nodding absentmindedly, clearly not paying full attention. Ebony was almost glad for that. "After I told Winter about the Basement, she was able to track some old cases that might lead us to where they took our parents."

Connie sighed, throwing the folder to the table before looking at Ebony in disbelief. But she wasn't met with the tone she thought she would. Instead, her sister sat there like someone with a perfectly evil plan to punish perfectly evil people. "Alright, let's assume you aren't trying to bring them back for our good. What are you suggesting?"

Ebony's smirk gained a new dimension to it that caused Connie to reflect it back. "Well, you don't know the outside world anymore, Con. I have connections. Not just Winter. Not just General Ironwood." She leaned forward with her most evil smile, "We could take them out. You and me as a team. Take the Greenwich name for ourselves. We could set ourselves up. Make ourselves huge."

Connie sighed and waved her hand at her. "It isn't that easy, Eb. Besides, I don't do things the same way as you. I don't play the nobility game. I don't care about any rep aside from my rep as a Huntress."

Ebony snickered and backed away as she said, "Just your appearance to Winter." Connie shot a look of death at her sister before being waved off, "I was told not to tell you until just yet, but Winter has an offer for you. I hope you accept it, because..." Ebony looked at her with a bit or remorse, "You are wasting away in here, Con. I've never seen you as weak as you have been since you came back here.'

Connie broke her gaze, looking at the fireplace again, not seemingly sure what to say. When her sister went to leave, Connie spoke up again, "Thank you again for this, sis." She picked up the folder again flipping through it. She grumbled, "And depending on the offer, I'll consider it." She mumbled under her breath, "I'll never wear a goddamn suit."

* * *

"According to my friend, it appears that in response to your desire to live, your semblance kept what little aura you had left burning. Had your opponent thought to strike a burning man in his vital organs, you would not have survived. Either your luck or his ignorance saved you from oblivion." Rosa pointed her steak knife right at Kaen's face, "And had you not burned through all your aura during your match, you might not have had to do that at all."

He grumbled as he did leg lifts, "What did you expect? It was a tournament. I was supposed to fight until my aura was depleted." Rosa shook her head as she withdrew the knife, tsking with disappointment, "What? Did you expect me not to give it all?"

Rosa explained like a methodical and experienced warrior, "Those jets of aura off your shoulders, the release of energy that began to burn away at your body, that was you pushing your aura too far. Your body cannot contain that much of your aura at once, so it expels it from your body. If it cannot expel it fast enough, your aura begins to damage your tissues. If you learn to restrain yourself, you might be able to fight for days if not weeks straight without tiring."

Kaen paused in his lifts for a moment only to have Rosa put a wet blanket on his legs, weighing them down more as his legs drifted closer to the nail bed she had put beneath his heels earlier, he complained a little as she motioned him away, She continued, "Once you finish conditioning your body, we can work on training your muscle memory again. With luck, your memories of your previous training will make that process easier. Have you considered what weapon you wish to use now that you are a blank slate?"

Kaen ignored her question as he continued his leg lifts and asked one of his own, "How are they doing?" Rosa smiled a little and laughed at him, putting a heavy blanket on his legs to make the lifts even harder. He growled both with strain and annoyance as she ignored his concerns.

Rosa instead stated, "You should be more concerned as to how you will survive my training if you cannot keep your mind focused on the task at hand." She leaned in close to him with a gleam in her eye, "If you can learn how to do that, you might be perfect." He couldn't help but sweat a little under her anticipatory gaze, but a nervous laugh is all it took for him to bring his focus back to his exercises.

Yang laughed as she pulled at her glove with her prosthetic arm, "Oh, wow. I think I saw you cough up some blood back there. Sure you want to keep standing back up, Sparky?" He gathered himself from the debris and stood up but made no move to attack her, just staring at her with those blazing orange eyes. She glared at him and bounced between her feet as she got ready to keep going. She warned him again, "Stay away from them or I'll put you in the ground, Kaen." All he did was stand there, as if waiting for her, so she obliged, moving in and punching him down into the ground before continuing to punch him with all she has, kicking him into a nearby cliff face and punching him a good ten feet into it.

Rosa sighed, "Well, at least he didn't lose his gentle nature. To think that he would go this far is reassuring."

Qrow growled, "What do you mean? She is beating the ever living hell out of him! How could this be a good thing?" Rosa motioned him to stop and pointed to the children, Zoge seeming to take the lead in doing nothing but all of them seemingly concerned. Qrow sighed and despite himself, followed Rosa's words.

Yang shouted as she pummeled him, "You are on her side! You betrayed us! Betrayed Beacon! I won't let you do it again!" When she felt she had buried him under enough rubble of the cliff, she went to walk away, a massive stone falling from above. In that moment, the heat in the area kicked up. Yang turned to throw a punch at Kaen, knowing this feeling but was surprised when he dodged her attack, kicked her out of the way of the rock and caught the boulder on his shoulders. Tossing it off his back with a groan, he twisted a few times as if working a kink out of his back. Yang pounced, trying to hit him again, only to have her fist caught dead. He leveled his blazing orange eyes at her, "Why won't you stay down!?"

Kaen sighed, "I tried to warn you not to push your luck. I tried to get you listen, but that?" He slammed her into the ground so hard it left a crater and then tossed her into the air. "That was where you crossed the line." She recovered mid-air and unleashed some shots from her Ember Celica only to have him move to cut her off at her landing spot. He connected with a powerful knee, grabbing her hair as he said, "I thought I could let you work out your paranoia, but apparently, I have to beat it out of you." He reeled back a punch that connected with destructive force as she flew back to where the fight began. Kaen walked back to the clearing and sighed, "I don't know what happened that day, but I do know that I nearly died saving who I could from Beacon. I won't have you making a mockery of that."

Yang stood up, her hair fully ablaze as she geared up to fight back, staring down her flaming opponent. It wasn't until Ruby got between them that Yang and Kaen both stopped their approach. Ruby turned to both of them, "Yang... "

"Out of my way, Ruby! I need to put this trash where he belongs." The golden haired martial artist was not about to just let this monster near her family.

"He helped us get to Haven and helped save Uncle Qrow." Yang looked in a touch of shock and a great deal of disbelief, looking at him with suspicion before Ruby walked up and grabbed her face, "Yang, I don't know why he did what he did at the tournament, but I believe him when he says he didn't do it on purpose."

She spat back, "Sorry and I don't know don't bring my arm back and they don't undo what happened to Beacon. Why should we let a guy as dangerous as this near any of us?"

Zoge spoke up with his usual cold demeanor, "Because I know what happened. The same thing that happened to me at a dust shop, but double. He got hit with both the illusion and suggestion." Yang looked at him with confused fury, as if thinking he was just protecting his team leader. It wasn't until she saw how laser focused his judgmental gaze was upon Kaen that she took him seriously. Zoge continued, "Kaen was simply the weapon. And the true culprit is known for his love of removing arms. I believe he is a simple sort that believes arms are crucial." Kaen turned to Zoge with a questioning look only to be met with judgment in return. Kaen's hurt expression in return was all Zoge needed to realize this was not the time.

Jaune stepped forward and stated, "I know what Kaen did. I am not sure I trust him either, but look at what he did. How long were you attacking him without one attempt to fight back or defend himself?" Yang thought about it as she looked at the blazing hair youth. She locked eyes with Kaen one more time and while her anger seemed to be coming across, he seemed to only meet it with acceptance. He wasn't running from her, nor was he hiding. Whatever she had, he looked ready to take it. But that fire behind his eyes spoke to the same fire in her. He wanted to even the score as much as her, but she wasn't his foe. Yang looked at Ruby's cute but determined face one more time, pinching her cheek as she said, "Fine, but Kaen isn't the only one that needs to answer some questions. Right, Uncle Qrow?" When she kept tugging Ruby's cheek and glared at Qrow she said, "Mom told me everything."

Kaen could feel the darkness around him, the chill of death filling the air. She had put a blindfold on him and told him to sense her 'killing intent'. What kind of crap was that and why hadn't she given him a weapon to use? He suddenly felt something as cold as ice at his neck. Rolling forward to avoid it, he sensed what seemed like a wave of warmth coming from in front of him, the sensation becoming a flurry of blows that knocked him back. He could hear her voice, "You may have no clue of what I speak, but Bronzo trained your instincts to know exactly what I mean. He didn't train you to avoid attacks, but your body does seem to recognize killing blows." He looked around, trying to track her voice. Before he knew it, he felt a wave of cold to one of his sides and he twisted to avoid it, then feeling a wave of heat at his back. Thinking he was safe, he took the hits only to feel something like an ice cold knife go into his spine. "I think I will blame your new limbs on this one. You are lucky that I decided to give you one mistake. And that I am so precise I could remove the flight feathers off a hummingbird mid-flight without hurting the beast." He felt the blade slide out of him and his semblance kick in without him asking it to, healing the damage done to his liver and intestines. "Let this be a warning that I will not spare you again. You must learn to face this or you will never survive her."

Kaen asked, "Who is 'Her'? You keep talking about it but I have no idea what you mean!" He waved his arms in an attempt to fight back only to feel a sharp edge suddenly at his elbow joint. He had dropped his guard. Still, he stood resolute, "You have to tell me who did this."

Rosa's voice came cold but sweet, "I will tell you if you survive this training session. I will tell you all of it. But, I first want to hear what weapon you intend to wield. Will you carry such a bulky insult to swords to protect your back again, or can you adapt? Do you still need such a crippling crutch? Or perhaps you will rely on your master's weapon to carry you in your weakest moments?" The blade moved from his elbow and he felt it at the back of his neck, the touch of the steel far more cold than it was a moment ago, "What sort of man is Kaen Phoenix? Your answer will decide on what sort of day you die and the worth it holds to others."

He stood perfectly still, feeling his breath catch in his throat a little, but the fire in his gut wouldn't allow him to remain silent. He spoke without thinking, but he spoke from his heart. "I got him killed. I hurt my friends. Betrayed my cause and my dreams. Betrayed his memory. Maybe dying at Beacon is how it should have been. But I'm still here so I owe it to them to keep trying."

Rosa laughed a little as the blade pressed a little more into his neck, "You see, that is who your opponent is. She takes what you care about and what you love and turns it back upon you. She preys upon fear. Upon anger. Upon doubt. All the weakest parts of us and uses it to destroy what we love. Her name isn't what defines her. What defines her is death. What defines her is pain and loss. She destroys what we build so we will destroy each other." Rosa whispered into his ear, "Know your enemy, Kaen. Accept them. If you fight them, you will lose. If you accept them, their greatest weapon means nothing." When he didn't move she sighed, "Do not worry yourself, little one. You will understand this lesson before we are done. And if you don't, I will have no qualms about slaying the Phoenix of Beacon." The blade left his neck and he could suddenly realize just how much he had been sweating. He couldn't see anything. He could dodge but he felt so helpless. No shields, no swords, no options. Just running. Was that her lesson?

He fell to his knees, his still relatively new legs not as strong as he would like. His eyes blazed to life, the orange glow spilling into his hair as he suddenly found the strength to stand again. He could feel his aura engulf him like a warm blanket, but held it within himself, not allowing it to spill over. With a satisfied smile, he removed the blindfold to look at the woods around him again. He saw Rosa standing some distance away and nodding with approval of his new discovery and new thoughts forming in her mind, clearly on how to use this new skill to her advantage.

* * *

Olive pulled out her scroll, glad but unsure of what to think of Zoge's face on the other side of the line. He sighed, "I don't know how settled you have gotten into your plan, but we need you over in Haven as soon as possible."

Olive shook her head, "No can do. I'm on an op with Amy over here. Need to keep an eye on Ghira." The white haired boy tapped his chin in thought as he seemed to be trying to find a way to compromise. Olive rolled her eyes, "Look, this is MY mission for MY people. I don't need someone like you telling me how to run my operations."

Zoge looked surprised and then laughed. Just as she was about to chew him out he flashed the KOAL pin at her and said, "Never said you couldn't, Lady Merlinus. Simply that we needed you here for a time. That said, if you do decide you wish to ask me for advice, I would not hesitate to share my opinions so you can use what you please." Olive froze mid shout and raised a brow in suspicion. He assured, "Olive, a lot may have changed, but the flames of Beacon are eternal. If you ever need my help with anything, don't hesitate to ask."

Suddenly the Scroll was ripped away and it was suddenly Ruby and Nora's faces, "Oh, Hey! Olive! We have someone to show you guys! Go get Amy!"

Nora took it more away and nodded, "Yeah! Go get her, I have a thing to say!" Ren looked nervously in the background before quietly escaping the room.

Olive put the scroll down to go get her companion, who had just been preparing for bed. Olive sighed and said, "Yo, Amy. Apparently everyone wants to talk with us. Like both of us."

The lavender haired girl turned, brushing her long hair delicately. Olive was a bit caught off guard from seeing the gentle nature within her friend again before seeing the strength behind her eyes take charge once more. Amy nodded, putting on the last of her pajamas before going to go join the call. Getting on her own scroll, she sighed, "Alright, Nora. What is it this time? Did you finally tell him?"

Nora laughed awkwardly and looked away, nervously saying, "Well, you know..." She turned the camera suddenly to avoid the topic and to catch Amy unaware. Amy nearly dropped her scroll when she saw him. He was currently in a fist fight over the last dinner roll with Yang while Jaune and Weiss tried desperately to break it up.

Amy could feel her eyes welling up and had to look away. He was alive? How long? Why hadn't he come to visit? Why is this the first time she is hearing about it. Olive also seemed at a loss for words, staring in disbelief as Yang shouted, "You had 5 of them, you big oaf! Gimmie!"

He shouted back, "Don't think I didn't see you feeding Zwei under the table so you could stuff your fat face with more rolls! No more bread for you, Amazon!" As he swung to try and grab the bread, a bowl of mashed potatoes tipped into Qrow's lap, to which he just sighed.

The scroll was taken again, this time by Rosa. She asked, "I heard the voice of my little winter blossom, but I don't see her face. What did you do to her, kitten?" Her face had genuine love and mild concern upon it. When Amy finally collected herself enough to return to her scroll, Rosa smiled. "Oh, hello, my dear Amaranthine. I am so sorry that I kept this from you. I was not allowed many moments to share my adventures with you once you became old enough. Perhaps this is the perfect time."

Amy was about to reply but couldn't take it and had to drop the scroll to run off to the bathroom to cry. Olive looked worried but Rosa placated her, "Dear, do not worry. She needs time. Especially for what comes next. But my winter blossom is the greatest success of my life and I know she is strong enough for this." Her tone became as cold as ice, "And if your escapades end with her in a pool of her own blood, I will help you donate every drop back to her." Olive nodded powerfully, making clear she understood. Suddenly, her tone was warm again, "Excellent! Well, you two have fun and do make your way to Haven when next it is most convenient." Olive nodded again, closing the call with a sigh of relief.

Why did she get the feeling that she was almost killed over telephone? Also, why did it feel that Zoge's invitation was now more of an order? Olive got out of her bed with a sigh and went downstairs, speaking to the innkeeper to explain that should Ghira host any public events while she was gone to message her and to keep her and Amy's room until they got back. He nodded in understanding before Olive returned to the room. When she did, she saw Amy kitting up in her full gear and being almost entirely dressed in just the few moments Olive was gone. The tears were still in her eyes, but something else as well. Olive didn't recognize it on the face of her teammate and she wasn't certain she wanted to. Amy motioned Olive to the luggage, encouraging her to change. Olive shrugged and went over to do just that. Amy stated, "We are going to get answers. And then we can do this properly, as a team." Olive was unsure of that, but nodded to appease her friend who nodded back.


	4. A Long Awaited Chat

Amy threw open the doors to the Huntsman's Quarters with purpose, her reluctant friend following in behind. As she did she noticed it looked mostly empty. A few scattered dishes here and there, one that looked purposely broken in half. When she rounded the corner into the Living room, she ran right into Kaen, looking up at him, she started to tear up and smacked him as hard as she could, which sent an echo through the room. He took it and after a moment hugged her tight, "I'm glad you got out okay." She broke down almost instantly, crying into his shoulder instead of responding. He simply smiled and patted her back softly. Olive saw him and the red mark on his face as she brought up the back. Kaen smiled at her and nodded. She grumbled and then came over to join in on the hug, her eyes starting to water too. Zoge laughed a little to himself from further into the room and walked over to join the hug.

Amy collected herself a little and whimpered, "I'm sorry."

Kaen laughed a little, "What about?" When she was about to speak, he cut her off. "Everyone was right here when I came back. You did good." Zoge stifled a laugh, clearly having a thought he dared not share to ruin the moment. Kaen sighed, "What is it, Z?"

Zoge laughed a bit more, "Just that we all wore your pins without talking and all ended up coming to the same place. It is almost like we have always been working together even when we were apart."

Olive seemed to pause in her crying and smirked a little herself, adjusting the pin in her cravat. "He's right. Amy came back with a confidence I've never seen before, Zoge came back with actual emotions, I've gotten better at working with a team. And Kaen cheated death."

Amy smiled at this and hugged Kaen tighter. She froze dead when she heard Rosa clear her throat. "We are all glad for you, my precious Amaranthine. To be reunited with old friends is a blessing, but we did have a matter to discuss with you all." She looked past Kaen to see that everyone had just seen her do that, Yang laughing under her breath while Ruby, Weiss and Nora all cried at the expression of emotion. Jaune was trying desperately not to cry, though she dare not ask why from the look on his face, and Ren patted Jaune on the back. Qrow stared with disinterest from his chair, a faint smirk on his face.

Amy broke the hug with a red face and laughed a little, trying to stifle any more tears. While everyone backed off, Kaen hugged her again, tight as he could. Weiss walked over and joined in next, crying like a madwoman, which just threw Amy off further. Still, Weiss broke the hug, going back to her seat and motioning Amy to sit with her. Kaen went back to his seat and Amy noticed a gap next to him… or a gap between him and Zoge she could make. Amy went to make her move and Zoge simply flipped backwards over the chair and sat next to a now annoyed Weiss. Amy rested her head on Kaen's shoulder as Qrow cleared his throat.

"Alright, kids, now that we are all here, I have a lot to explain, so pay attention because I ain't explaining it twice, and that means you Phoenix." Kaen nodded in confirmation. Qrow sighed, "Alright, so here is what has been going on. There are four relics and four major academies around the world. Ozpin locked the relics away so that his enemies couldn't get to them and built schools around them so that they would always be surrounded by warriors trained to fight."

Yang growled, "So, we were just a security system?"

Rosa held up her hand with a knowing smirk, "I feel your rage myself, Yang. But unlike your mother, do heed my warnings." Yang was surprised at this but Rosa continued, "We may have been trained to buy time, but for the first time we have a chance to bring this war to an end." Qrow turned to face Rosa, seeming to not like her tone.

Weiss spoke up, "Who is this her? What do you know?" Qrow looked ready to stop her but the looks of the students made him realize that they needed to know before they went any further. He also looked ready to admit that between the two of them Rosa was the one most qualified to tell them.

Rosa nodded at his expression and her face became that of a war veteran sharing their stories as if they were just yesterday. "Her name... is Salem. She was once a peer of Ozma himself. His wife to be precise." The students all looked between each other. All but Zoge who seemed to narrow his eyes in focus. He had plenty of questions but he looked more interested in confirming what he had found in his research. She continued, "According to her, the gods attempted to take Ozma from her. So, she attempted to slay the gods themselves in response. Her attempts to reclaim her lost love drove her to seek powers beyond the divines. This quest made her into what she is. A bitter and vengeful ghost seeking nothing more than revenge upon the gods and to show others the same despair she now lives in." The students seemed to sober up a little at the description of their foe, but Rosa continued, "The relics were left behind by the gods. Ozpin was left with their care and told that when he could unite all nations in peace, he could unite the relics to summon the gods back to Remnant."

Qrow looked in surprise at half of this story, not having heard any of this from Ozpin, though he wondered if this was the reason Ozpin had allowed Rosa to join them despite her history. As if addressing that, Zoge sighed and asked, "You used to work for her, didn't you?"

Ruby jolted upright and said, "Like that scorpion guy?"

Rosa chuckled a bit, "Oh dear, has little Tyrian made an appearance? I figured he would have been cast aside by now. Fed to her Grimm. Especially if he failed to eliminate you." She sighed and admitted, "I once worked for her. For similar reasons as to why Raven now attempts to hide herself away. I had seen much of war. Much of loss. I too had lost my husband to our quest to bring peace to our lands. I too would have done anything to have him returned to me." Rosa began to cry, but controlled herself, "She used that against me, turned my pain into a tool and convinced me to accept a pact with her. Eventually, I began to realize she had no interest in me. I was a tool like everyone else. Another pawn in her grand scheme and she would gladly kill me with everyone else." Rosa gained a bit of rage as she recounted this and growled, "So, with the help of one of my students, I took my stand against her and joined with Ozpin in an attempt to stop her and save what I still had before she could take even more from me."

Qrow nodded, drinking from his flask as he tries to make heads or tails of the revelations that Ozpin had been hiding from him. Rosa looked at him confused, but unsurprised. Ozpin loved his secrets, but Salem made no secrets of her intentions or her history. Not to those she felt she had groomed properly. Amy stood up, glaring at her grandmother, something Rosa seemed to simply accept, "You! You worked for her?! SHE WANTS TO KILL EVERYONE! WHY?!" Rosa didn't reply, accepting the rage of her little winter blossom and when no one stood to defend her, Rosa remained unshocked. It was a new thing for them to consider, that someone might change their colors for something as simple as mourning and change back for something as simple as revenge. She worried what would happen when Raven's actions came forward.

Rosa's reply took some time to come out, but it came with the weight of experience, "Such is the price war takes from us, blossom. Behind every story of myth and legend is a much more painful truth. No hero walks away without the scars. Ask your father, little one. He wouldn't have let you leave if he had not made sure you were strong enough for this." Amy glared at her grandmother with tears in her eyes before storming out to the balcony. Kaen stared at his newest mentor with a sense of understanding disappointment. He stood, nodded to Zoge, and went out with her.

Zoge sighed as the rest of the students remained silent, "Well, I would love to find a more complete source for this story, but let's take what you said at face value. If that is the case, I take it that the four maidens play a part as well." Rosa nodded causing him to nod in return, "Her fixation seems passing on them. This means that she needs them until she doesn't. If that is true, then they must be connected to the relics." Rosa seemed unsure but nodded, causing Qrow to raise a brow. "I assume if Ozpin is no fool, he made the keys to these vaults sentient and capable of defending themselves, and thus the maidens. Almost certainly because he trusted the power of the relics to them." Rosa paused as if in surprise but Zoge couldn't collect if it was that he was reading her mind or that he was ahead of her. Zoge sighed, "More innocent people caught in the crossfire. His plan has a logical structure but takes no one else into the math. He ignores their will for the greater good while she uses their will against them." He shook his head in disappointment. "He plays this game like a child. How long has he been playing this game to-"

He was cut off by Yang who shouted, "THIS ISN'T A GAME! PEOPLE ARE DYING BECAUSE OF THIS!" He looked at her with sad and cold eyes, nodding with her, as if he understood. But what he said next betrayed his true thoughts.

"Many innocent people are caught in the ruthless game of two beings who think themselves gods. We are pieces to them." Yang was about to storm out when Zoge said, "And that is why we must show them we aren't." Qrow looked a bit annoyed, as if being told by a 5 year old how to do his job while Rosa leaned forward in interest. "Yang, we are not pieces on a board. But to people like this, that is all we are. Ozpin may mourn us when we are gone, but he views each as a necessary sacrifice for his grand plan. A grand plan to buy time while he attempted to build man into something more than we are." She turned, staring down the once cold and lonely boy. "What neither of them figured is that we would take this fight on ourselves." He looked at the two older huntsman and stated, "I have a plan, but the first step is winning Haven and the hearts of the White Fang. I believe Olive already has the second under her control and is probably aware of the first."

Yang turned to Olive with a look of anger hiding a thread of hope. Olive hesitated at being outed here, but nodded, "My influence within the White Fang is starting to catch on, but I'm really just hoping that we can spur Ghira into taking the reigns back. If he will, if Blake agrees to take over after him, then my team can work as a branch of them and do what we can to change things. To bring human and faunas together where we can." She seemed a bit nervous of how it would be taken but stated, "We have been working for a time with House Winchester in Vale, the Noble House of Oceania in Mantle, and a few of the bandit clans in Vaccuo." When no one seemed concerned she continued, "Mostly we have been keeping an eye on Adam and uniting the lost sheep of the White Fang from his fold. There are plenty to be had. They are desperate and scared. If they had a name like Belladonna behind the cause, we could bring them all home. Then we just clean up whoever continues to side with Adam and we will be united."

Yang huffed and asked, "Why do we need them? Why don't you take it yourself?" She looked away, clearly hurt but trying uselessly not to show it.

Olive sighed and responded, "As persuasive as I have become, there is a limit to what I can do. But Ghira is a name they all know as he was the pioneer. He won't endorse me as the new leader and frankly I don't want him to. I would prefer to do my work without having to waste my time with public statements. They are useful to keep morale for now, but I hope that with him in charge such a thing will become a thing of my past." Yang tried to glare her down but Olive gave a sigh and explained, "Yang, you may have a problem with what the White Fang did at Beacon, but we faunas are just as scared as the rest of you. We need a cause to rally behind and after the war, all we have is each other. If we don't look after our own, who will? The Schnees?" She turned and motioned the now annoyed Weiss to settle.

Yang growled and stomped out, "Forget it. It is fine. I'm fine." As she walked out, Ruby and Weiss went to follow her.

Now down to just Zoge, Olive, and JNPR, Zoge sighed, "That said, there is only one path forward. We gather the relics before Salem. We draw her attention to us."

Rosa began to laugh as Jaune rose to yell at her, "And what are you laughing about? Don't you work for Ozpin? Didn't you work for Salem? Why are you laughing at us trying to take control of this? We aren't just your pawns!"

Rosa motioned the boy to sit and shook her head, "The fact that you have decided to join this game of gods is exactly why I laugh. You are not the first to consider it and I'm happy to hear you wish to take your own will into your hands. I just find it amusing that you do this on the eve of a decisive battle. Tonight, the next night, the next week. It doesn't matter. You know the field of your next battle and yet you still choose this day to try and change the entire terrain of a centuries old war." She turned to Qrow with an almost menacing smile, "This is what I was talking about Qrow. Is the plan dangerous? Of course, but Ozpin's plan was killing just as many people with less guilt. This way, we decide this for ourselves. Not the gods, nor their puppets. We humans decide our own fate." She turned back to Zoge, "She tried to grasp the Relic of Choice from Beacon, but the fact that you can still walk this path to oppose her alongside me means that she failed to claim it. I would be among the first to know." She offered her hand, "Avario, if this is truly the path you wish to walk, then I can be your guide."

Zoge cleared his throat and stated again, "Zoge. My name is Zoge LaBlanc. As for your offer, I will take your advice and your knowledge, but as a former pawn to these 'gods' excuse me if I do not trust your reasoning or motivations." She laughed a little and retracted her hand, him narrowing his eyes at her as JNPR looked on in confusion. He didn't know how she had come across that name, but he refused to own it. He was himself. He was an important member of Team KOAL and someone given a second chance at a life all his own. He would have to speak to her about it later. Still, he sighed, "The plan is simple. We protect Ghira, we prevent the fall of Haven's tower, and most important of all, we find the maiden that can open the Haven Vault and do what we can to keep Salem's forces from getting the relic within."

Qrow seemed to sigh with exertion before Rosa spoke again, "Oh, I already know, and if we plan accordingly, Salem's forces will lead her right to the Vault. When they do, I'm sure I can convince her to part with it." Her voice gained a bit of menace as she said, "Because if she doesn't her life will be even worse, and she hasn't considered it yet." When Zoge narrowed his gaze, Rosa seemed to visibly reign herself in, "I know my student. If she is doing this, it is because she has seen Ozpin's hesitation, his fear of attacking his beloved, and is seeking to defend herself first as she always has."

Zoge sighed and left the point alone. Moving forward he stated, "We need two teams then. One to watch Ghira the other to go face our foes at Haven. Once we meet again to inform the others in the morning of the plan, we can decide who goes where." Jaune was the only one to hesitate to participate, while Qrow just took another swig from his flask. Zoge asked, "What is your concern, Jaune?"

Jaune sighed and stated, "We lost so much a Beacon. And I know that Oz knew it could happen, knew that it would, but had us there to stop it. But look at what happened. What makes you think that we can do this ourselves if Ozpin hasn't done it himself?"

Zoge nodded, motioning the merit to his point and sighed, "Because he wasn't asking us. She isn't asking us. They take us for granted. Trust in our nature as humans, for good or for bad. All while ignoring the greatest part of humanity. Our drive to overcome every challenge put before us. To feel like something more than just ourselves." When Jaune looked downward, Zoge continued, "Jaune, you may not think much of yourself, but there is so much more to you than you could possibly know."

Jaune shouted, with tears in his eyes, "And what would that be?! What makes me special when I don't even have a semblance!?"

While he thought that would throw Zoge off, Zoge moved ahead without hesitation, "Because despite that, you are still here." Jaune seemed taken aback so Zoge continued with powerful force behind his voice, "If you continue to lead your team, despite not having a semblance, despite not having much formal training, despite losing one of your most powerful members, despite not knowing any of the grander scheme but recognizing something needs to be done!" His voice returned to normal, "Because of those and so many more reasons, you are here, Jaune. You are so much more than you know because despite every reason to turn back, you have pushed ahead. That spirit is exactly where I choose to place my hope." As Jaune sat down, Zoge continued, "That spirit is why Kaen pushed past his limits to survive a potential death. That sort of spirit is what drove me to take my life back, what drove Olive and Amy to become more than they were before. ALL OF US, are here because of that same fire. The same drive to change this world. I ask that you trust me, like family. Because that is what our cause has made us. RWBY, KOAL, and JNPR, if not so many others."

Jaune hesitated and asked, "So, if I were to decide for my team that it was time for us to leave, you would not hold that against us?"

Zoge smiled softly, "I have faith that even if you chose to leave for a time, you would return should we ever need you. I leave your decision in the hands of you and your team. You have already lost one member to the events of Beacon. The final call is yours, but I promise that if you are willing to work with me, I will not hesitate to share all I have and all I plan with the rest of you. I will offer the same thing to the rest of them."

Jaune pointed with purpose as he stated, "Do I have you at your word that you will share all of your plan with us?"

Zoge paused, pondered and sighed, admitting, "Some of what I plan is personal, I admit, but I assure you that I would never put any of you at risk without expressing why and I would never force you to do something that you will not fully know the risks of." He rolled his eyes and explained further, "Basically, whenever there is a discussion as to what we are to do as a group next, I will make sure you and your entire team are a part of that discussion. Whatever happens within KOAL will be our decision, but those will always be personal to us. You are free to do the same." Jaune seemed to be aware that Zoge was only looking out for his own team and so Zoge finally lamented, "There are parts of my past that, similar to yours, or Olive's, or Nora's, or Ren's... There are parts I would prefer to play close to the chest unless I have to. If it comes to fighting Salem, I will never lie to you. But personal matters are the choice of the person."

Jaune looked over to his team, Ren looking down before nodding and Jaune turning to Zoge and stating, "We will talk about it and get back to you. But..." Jaune fought back the tears as he said, "Z... Thank you for giving us a choice."

Zoge laughed a little hollowly, "If I didn't, I would be no better than Ozpin or Salem. If we are going to win this, we need to be united. No lies. No secrets about the plan or the goal. Just us working to bring this to an end so that none of us have to lose more people to the machinations of those who claim the title of gods." Jaune nodded with a heavy heart and started for his room. Nora went to follow and Ren walked over to Zoge, bowed with respect, and seemingly gratitude as he went to his room. Zoge sighed, "It looks like tonight is over. Qrow, if you are not okay with us flying solo, you are welcome to leave. If not, then we will meet for breakfast tomorrow, bright and early. This is so Olive can go and lead a group to see to her own people." Qrow hesitantly nodded as Rosa laughed a little, walking to her own room.

Zoge and Olive were left alone in the room. Olive laughed a little, "I never imagined you to be the one to fight fate and fight the good fight. What changed?"

Zoge shrugged as he stared at a wall, "I was given a new chance to live my life. I fought fate once. I see no reason not to roll those dice again."

She laughed a bit and teased, "See, that is my line, Z." She sighed, "Look, I know that you have a plan and I've never doubted that you know how to plan. But, this isn't a game. Are you sure you have this?"

Zoge sighed and explained, "If we don't take this into our own hands, nothing will change. If we want to beat Salem, we have to do it at her own game. Take advantage of the natures of both the supposed gods in this game and forge our own path." Olive nodded as Zoge leaned back in his seat. "What comes next relies on the rest of them being on board. If they hesitate for even a moment, we may lose what little we have."

* * *

Kaen had been standing out there for some time with Amy crying into his shoulder and occasional punching into him as she tried to get this out of her system. Eventually she cried, "I trusted her!" She kept crying and he kept waiting until she eventually calmed down more.

Kaen laughed weakly which almost caused her to punch him more but he stated, "She may have her secrets, but she isn't exactly a liar. At least not to me." Amy looked up into his blazing orange eyes with her own tearful pink ones. He continued, "She found me in the ruins of Beacon and never once pretended she saved me for selfless reasons. Still, she watched over me since Beacon, trained me how to fight again, and brought me where I needed to be. She didn't need to, but here I am."

Amy grumbled, "That doesn't excuse it, Kaen. She turned her back on her family." She punched him again.

He said past a smirk, "The way I hear it, some time after she turned her back on that way, she came to the rescue of a little girl she loved more than anything in the world. So much she was willing to risk losing her family forever to keep her safe." Amy buried her face into his shoulder so she didn't have to look at what she knew was going to be his forgiving and joyful face trying to get her to look at things his way.

She grumbled, "How do you do it, Kaen?" He gave her a puzzled look that she couldn't help but gaze into. She pressed again, "How do you see the good in people like you do?" He looked to the side as if he didn't have an answer so she got more specific, "How did you see the emotions Zoge was hiding from us all? And how could you read Weiss? And," She began to tear up a little, swallowing a bit as she caught herself, "How did you know I could be strong?"

Kaen scratched his chin for a minute and sighed, "Well, I suppose it is just because I've been through so much pain that I can see it in other people. I may not always get it, but I can see how people's pain drives them. How it changes their behaviors in an attempt to protect themselves. Once you know why someone does something it is easier to see the things they hide beneath it." He looked her in the eye and smiled, "So, when Yang shattered my ribs earlier today I didn't have to fight back. She was right. I screwed up."

"She what?" He tried to laugh it off, but Amy seemed to focus and stated, "Your aura should have protected your body from a wound like that. Why didn't it?" He mumbled something so she growled, "Kaen."

He gave a weak smile, "Well, a lot of my muscles are still trying to play catch up, so I've been keeping as much aura within the soft tissues of my body as possible so that it can get stronger faster. My semblance has been helping too." Amy wasn't sure she understood, so he continued, "Since my new muscles haven't been conditioned and hardened like my old ones and since muscles get stronger by repairing themselves from the damage that comes from exertion, we figure that if I do things this way for now then my muscles will catch up faster. So far, I heal fast enough that any non-lethal wound shouldn't be a major concern until I'm back to standard."

Amy gave him a stern look, much like the old days and just like the old days figured he would ignore her, "You shouldn't be doing that, Kaen. If you are going to, at least play support until you are ready."

To her surprise, Kaen nodded with a smirk, "That is the best thing about my new weapon. I should be able to either stick and move or play artillery." He sighed, "She taught me what I'm up against and while my guts will serve me well, I need to be a lot more careful than I used to be or surviving Beacon will mean nothing." Amy wore her surprise on her face before nodding to reaffirm her words and hugging him again. He hugged her back and sighed, "It is good to be home again."

* * *

Yang sat in the room she had been told was hers, hearing Ruby and Weiss debating outside who's job it was to come in to check on her. Eventually she sighed and said loud enough for them both to hear, "I can hear you guys!"

Upon this there was some flustered commotion before Yang heard the door slide open, her half-sister and white haired friend filing in. Ruby was the first to speak but only after some prodding from Weiss. "Yang, I don't know what is going on, but you know you can talk to us, right?"

Yang sighed and rolled her eyes at the obvious comment when Weiss came in to back her up, "We are a team, Yang. If we can't trust each other then..." She dropped silent as if to imply a consequence she dare not say, or perhaps a building regret.

Yang shot back, "We aren't a team tho, right? I mean, he said RWBY and JNPR but Pyrrha is dead and Blake abandoned us. For all we know Blake was a part of what happened at Beacon. She is a part of the White Fang, right?"

Weiss couldn't help but speak up, echoing words she had heard not too long ago. "Not necessarily. Maybe she is scared." Yang was about to bulldoze her but found herself shouted over by the heiress, "NO WAY! YOU ARE GOING TO LISTEN YANG!" She said his words with full conviction herself, "Blake wouldn't have betrayed us! I know that she ran away to try and protect us! I mean, she probably feels a bit responsible for what happened at Beacon! She probably thinks they were there because of her! What would you do if you were in her place?!"

Yang shouted back with red eyes, "I WOULD HAVE TOLD HER!" She glared with a fire to her for a few seconds before realizing she had just said this out out loud. She seemed to become crestfallen and turn back to stare into the corner of the room.

Ruby hugged her strong from behind, trying to reassure her sister. After she got a little head pat from her begrudging older sister Ruby whispered, "If Weiss is right, then we can show her that she can't get rid of us that easy. That Team RWBY sticks together no matter what." Yang laughed a little at this, seeming to lighten up.

Then Weiss hugged her and whispered, "And if she did betray us, you can knock some sense back into her head with your own two hands." Yang looked over at Weiss and seemed to nod weakly. The three keeping this hug for quite awhile as Yang did all she could to let the wound in her heart heal.


End file.
